


Fourteen million six hundred and five realities for you

by professional_dumb_of_ass



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, Falling In Love, M/M, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-01
Updated: 2019-04-01
Packaged: 2019-12-29 22:45:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18303338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/professional_dumb_of_ass/pseuds/professional_dumb_of_ass
Summary: It's not about you.When Stephen goes through fourteen million six hundred and five realities, he didn't expect to care so much for the others stranded with him on Titan... or to fall in love.





	Fourteen million six hundred and five realities for you

**Author's Note:**

> I had this in my drafts since forever ago, it was supposed to be part of a bigger canon-compliant fix it fic but I decided against it.  
> And since we're less than a month away from Endgame, I thought posting this now was appropriate.

**Reality 01**

The Guardians, Parker, Stark and himself settled for a simple strategy. They would distract Thanos and so Stephen could send him to the Dark Dimension. It was the most inescapable place he could think of and it seemed pretty fitting for a creature like Thanos. Or maybe he was biased since he spent so much time there,it was worth a shot.

The others thought it had worked but when Thanos returned only seconds later, the Space Stone shining more brightly on the gauntlet than the others, the doctor suspected it couldn't be that easy to defeat him.

 

**Reality 366**

He knew it wouldn't work since the first time he tried but Stephen had to see all the possibilities, so he rushed through the realities trying to see if any of the places Thanos could be sent to would make a difference.

It only worked for a couple of seconds at max and Stephen was running out of safe places to send the Mad Titan away.

 

**Reality 1 732**

It's true that Stephen was not a sorcerer for long, there were a lot of masters who had far more knowledge than him but he had his photographic memory and ability to quickly master spells on his side. Not to mention the extensive ‘training’ he had on the Dark Dimension as he fought Dormammu on loop for a long, long time. Each time the loop started he lasted longer than the last.

But it was getting frustrating how none of the spells seemed to work, lethal and nonlethal against the other being.

 

**Reality 2 463**

He started to pay more attention to the allies that were stranded with him on the planet. He needed to learn their strengths and their weaknesses. Stephen shouldn't be arrogant or naïve to think he could deal with this almost on his own.

 

**Reality 10 729**

They were all very strong and intelligent, ties of friendship binding them and making them more tenacious and stronger.

Stark was genius like himself so he wasn't surprised to hear the man make some brilliant strategies and pointing out things he hadn't thought of. The kid was also very resourceful and he had come with the plan to save him back when they were in the spaceship… It wasn't all that hopeless, he could work with this. They could win this.

 

**Reality 59 014**

But Stephen was growing tired of seeing them die over and over again in horrific ways as he refused to give the Stone up…

 

**Reality 167 822**

The strategy was defined once again but they still had time to spare so Quill started to speak. He talked about Gamora, that she was Thanos daughter, well, adopted but that she hated him. He spoke on how she was a good woman and made him promise to her that if Thanos found them as they tried to get the Reality Stone, he would kill her.

 

“She knows where one of the Stones is hidden.” He swallowed thickly. “It's the only thing that makes sense and she knew he would find a way to make her say it. I tried to keep my promise but…”

“When I pulled the trigger soap bubbles came out instead.” Quill laughed bitterly as he wiped away his tears. “I need to know where she is, I'm going to rescue her even if it's the last thing I do.”

 

The determination and finality in those words made Stephen's heart ache. Quill had always demanded to know where Gamora was when Thanos arrived. Sometimes he wouldn't reply and other times he would tell him the truth, that she had died. That he wishes things could be arranged in another way but that he was willing to make the sacrifice if it meant saving the universe.

It always made the doctor's stomach twist with anger and disgust. How dare he say that he loved his daughter, that he was also mourning, he was truly mad if Thanos thought this was the only way to do things. More than once Stephen wanted to join Quill and punch the being in his big ugly purple face.

As a doctor and a reasonable human being, it was messed up to think that the only way to save universe's life was to murder half of it's life. Surely there are a million other ways to do things specially when one had the Infinity Gauntlet at their disposal. Creatures like Thanos made him angry, trying to justify their lust for power as a good reason. Trying to justify their actions saying it's for the Greater Good. They simply were trash trying to pretend they were God and knew better than everyone else.

Stephen swore to himself again that he would not stop trying to find the realities or reality where they would win. They would find a way to defeat the mad man even if it's by pure spite.

 

**Reality 307 915**

Mantis tells the rest of them how she learned to “force” a being to sleep and confesses that she still feels guilty for being beside Quill’s father for so long even when she knew what he was doing. The Guardians assured her that she didn't know better and she couldn't hope to escape on her own but that she was now helping them saving the universe and if that wasn't redemption worthy, they didn't know what was.

Stephen and the other two agreed with them. Even if incredibly naïve and innocent, she had good friends beside her to help.

 

**Reality 426 560**

As Quill held a bleeding Drax in his arms, the muscular man said with a smile that he didn't care if he died. At long last he could finally see and be with his wife and daughter, he made them all promise that they would avenge his death. And as he took his final breath, Drax looked peaceful like he had just fallen asleep.

It was funny how this man who was hard as stone had such a big loving heart except no one was laughing.

 

**Reality 506 281**

As Stephen was certain that he had been the top surgeon in his field once upon a time and that the Earth's sky was blue, he knew with the same certainty that Stark would never hesitate to give his life away to save any of them, specially the young boy. For a genius he did a lot of ‘act first and think later’ in those situations and as Stephen learned new facts and faces about his… friends, he was beginning to understand why he would do that.

It's not that he hated any of them or that they weren't worth saving but defeating Thanos was the top priority, yet…

 

**Reality 574 009**

Park- Peter was a nice kid and ridiculously strong. The Doctor had seen this scene unfold more than a million times by now and it never ceased to surprise him how the baby-faced teenager could stop some of Thanos punches with his cunning wit and strength.

Somehow he made this terrible and heavy environment lighter, he was a ray of hope and sunshine in this deserted planet. He had to make sure this kid made it home and could continue living his life, it was not fair to be cut so short. He was finally getting why Stark was so fond of the kid.

 

**Reality 900 000**

It also never stopped surprising him as well when Stark died, Peter's attitude would do a 360° change. The teenager's face would harden, making him look years older than he really was. From horrifying realization, to devastating sadness to, finally, burning hatred and silent fury.

 

“Karen… Activate instant kill mode.” His voice was always cold as ice when he said it. Never wavering even if a waterfall of tears kept falling from his face. Proceed by a brutal display of strength that Thanos complimented as he dodged the attacks.

 

Stephen's heart would always break when he saw it happening. He would make sure that this particular scenario wouldn't happen: Peter couldn't lose Stark and Stark couldn't lose Peter.

 

**Reality 1 430 635**

They had almost got it!!! With their combined efforts, they finally got down a strategy where everything almost worked. Mantis had successfully neutralized Thanos for a couple of moments and Peter was close to remove the Gauntlet but then the empath started to speak as Thanos feelings reached her. Quill, naturally lost his mind, no one could truly blame him and he punched the sleeping being in the face.

As the Stones glowed, they were all pushed away as Thanos adjusted the Gauntlet back to his hand. The being stalked towards him and Tony diverted the Titan’s attention to him. Thanos impaled him, a sickening sound reaching his ears as the piece disappeared deeper into the brunet’s body. Stark coughed up blood and soon enough he was dead.

As Stephen quickly switched to a new reality, he felt his face damp with tears. If he was mourning what was almost a victory or was mourning for the man that sacrificed himself (again) for him, he wasn't really all that sure.

 

**Reality 1 276 410**

Stephen didn't want to see them die any longer. Why didn't it stop? Was everything truly useless, could they truly not win against Thanos?

 

**Reality 2 983 284**

_‘You could save them if you give up the Stone.’_ His thoughts betrayed him, the voice sounded suspiciously like the Ancient One. He heard her words play again in his mind.  _'Arrogance and fear still keep you from learning the simplest and most significant lesson of all... It's not about you.'_

 

**Reality 3 600 326**

It was finally time for a new strategy… It's not like he had anything to lose. He felt like a coward, he had realized realities ago that he would lose everything if he kept holding to the Eye of Agamotto. He would be an idiot if he hadn't realized that by now and Stephen Strange was most definitely not an idiot.

Losing the Stone would be nothing if it could save half of the universe… If it could save his friends.

 

**Reality 3 654 801**

Yet again they had been so close to victory… Hope started to flourish inside Stephen once more. After he started to give the Stone, new possibilities unfolded in front of him. He just needed to think outside the box now and maybe some outside opinions, in the next realities he would ask the others for advice.

Six heads thought better than one after all.

 

**Reality 6 093 146**

Six heads did think better than one but even if the taste of victory felt closer than ever, they still kept falling. After they won, Stephen thought, maybe he should take a couple of days of vacation.

 

**Reality 7 418 351**

You could see the same thing every day for a thousand days and you would still find something new. This is the biggest sentiment the Doctor feels at the moment, whose rival is the guilt he's feeling as Tony is impaled once again in front of his eyes.

 

“Why would you do that?” Tony always asks, voice also filled with guilt and pain. He's always ready to die, he doesn't think he deserves to be saved. Stephen had figured that out around the third time he saved the man from certain death back in the first thousand futures he had seen.

 

He wanted to say that he was an essential part of the plan and he was! He wanted to say that he didn't have to die so that others could live. That Peter needed him by his side. Stephen wanted to make sure Tony understood that he was worth it, that he deserved to live not just because he was essential to defeating Thanos but also because he was a human being, because he was part of the universe.

Another part of him wanted to say that he was selfish and that he wanted Tony to live for him. For his conscience, for his heart… But it wasn't his place to say such things not now and quite possibly not ever, Tony was engaged after all.

When Tony asked the question, the other man realized then that somewhere along the way as they fought for their life, he had fallen. Figures that he would fall for someone he can't have, Stephen always made his own life more difficult than it had to be.

 

**Reality 10 618 009**

As Stephen turned into dust for the millionth time, he noticed how beautiful the other man was. It was nice and somewhat comforting that those sorrowfully expressive chocolate brown eyes would be the last thing he saw. Too bad he never got to see Tony smile, he was sure he would look even more beautiful.

 

**Reality 13 074 915**

As a new reality started to form in front of him again, Stephen was suddenly struck with a brilliant idea. He was running out of options and strength, he needed to come up with a solution quickly if they wanted to win.

 

**Reality 14 000 605**

He cried in joy as he finally found a way to defeat Thanos. It was tricky and he hated it but he believed in his friends and unfortunately there was no other way. If everything went according to plan, which it would, he would make sure of that, the only thing he hoped is that Tony would forgive him that he couldn't reveal the plan to him and that Tony would have to suffer even more than he already has.

But at this point Stephen didn't care if his heart got broken and the engineer wouldn't forgive him, it was a small price to pay for saving his life and the rest of the universe.

It was a lie of course, he did care. He cared a lot more for Tony than he ever expected to care but his sentiment still stood, if that was the price to pay so be it. It's not like the other man knew he had fallen for him, it was nobody's fault but Stephen's.

 

 **Present**   **Reality**

As Stephen returned to his reality, the exhaustion and pain hit him all at once, he groaned as he felt a warm hand grabbing his.

 

“You're back, you're alright.” Tony said to him as he squeezed his hand, trying to ground him.

“Hi.” He dumbly replied out of breath. He was still panting hard from returning.

“Hey, what was that?” Peter asked as he and the Guardians approached him.

“Went forward in time… “ He paused to gain some breath. “To view all possible outcomes of the coming conflict.” He was still breathing hard as Tony's thumb gently went up and down his scarred hand. It was soothing and helped him to try get his breath into place.

“How many did you see?” Quill asked with a serious expression.

“Fourteen million six hundred and five.”

“How many did we win?”

 

Stephen's stare returned to Tony, the man was almost pleading with his eyes for some good news. Stephen sorrowfully replied:

“One.”

* * *

 As Stephen felt the familiar sensation creeping on him, he called out.

 

“Tony.” When the man in question fixed his haunted stare into his face, he continued. “There was no other way.”

 

Before the doctor turned into dust, he prayed to whatever benevolent God was listening to him that Tony would understand his plan and would be safe.

Everything rested in his capable hands now.

**Author's Note:**

> But... if there is enough interest, I might be willing to write more. So let me know what you think? :')


End file.
